Audi A6 Avant, our test: how the new diesel-hybrid station wagon performs and looks

A flagship with a boot for the whole family. The new Audi A6 Avant arrives at the sixth generation christened C9 and does so by growing in size and content. Almost five metres long, it is based on the PPC platform dedicated to the renewed internal combustion range of the brand of the four rings. Characterised by a decidedly sportier design than in the past, at launch it is available in combination with the 204 bhp 2.0 Tdi Mhev Plus 48-volt diesel engine with front or all-wheel drive and the 367 bhp V6 3.0 Tfsi quattro petrol engine. A rival to the BMW 5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class station wagon, the A6 Avant represents 90% of the registrations of the Audi A6 range, which has been sold in Italy in over 178,000 units since 1994 and will be the best-selling car in the E segment in 2023 and 2024.

But what are the dimensions of the new Audi A6 Avant 2025? The station wagon comes in at almost 5 metres, 4.99 metres to be precise, growing by 6 centimetres compared to the fifth generation. Width reaches 1.90 metres (+1.1 cm) and height remains unchanged at 1.47 metres. The 2.92 metre wheelbase anticipates an abundance of space in the rear, while load capacity varies from 466 litres to 1,497 litres. The much sportier design compared to the previous generation - the front features a wide, lowered single frame extending to the lower edge of the bumper and sharp headlamps, reminiscent of the family feeling first seen on the A5 - is matched by aerodynamic efficiency with a CX of just 0.25: the best obtained by a thermal Avant in Audi's history. A result to which the air curtains, the slits at the wheel arches that favour clean airflows in the flank area, and the adaptive air intakes at the front that are opened or closed when necessary by small electric motors so that the incoming air flows without turbulence, contribute in particular. The advanced Digital Matrix LED headlamps, shared with the Audi A8 flagship and available by the end of 2025, adopt Dmd (Digital Micromirror Device) technology, improve safety and increase personalisation of the car.

Both Audi Led Digital Matrix headlamps and Oled rear light clusters can rely on the interaction of lighting technology and Car-to-X communication. In the former case, if accident or vehicle breakdown warnings are transmitted on board via the MMI, the Digital Matrix LED headlamps project a three-second warning onto the road. The driver benefits from the ground display of a triangle with an exclamation mark inside. This allows the driver to maintain full attention to the road and encourages quick reactions. In the second case, the Oled rear light clusters evolve into displays: they communicate with their surroundings, warning other road users in advance of dangers. finally, up to seven light signatures are available for the daytime running lights of the Audi Led Digital Matrix headlamps and the Oled 2.0 rear light clusters.

Climb aboard and you are greeted by the Audi Digital Stage, also christened the 'digital stage', the 11.9-inch Audi virtual cockpit and the 14.5-inch display of the Mmi system, both of which are standard from the first trim level, as well as the dedicated passenger screen. The Mmi panoramic display, specifically, is characterised by its curved design and Ole technology. The 10.9-inch passenger display is standard for the S line edition trim. Thanks to the Active Privacy mode, the front passenger can watch a movie while driving without distracting the driver. At the same time, it can assist the person behind the wheel in managing, for example, navigation or finding a parking space. The head-up display has been completely redesigned, with a display area 85 per cent larger than before and, for the first time, can be customised with vehicle and infotainment functions through interaction with the steering wheel controls. Contributing to the digitisation is the E3 1.2 electronic architecture, brought to debut by the Q6 e-tron. The name E3 stands for End-to-End Electronic Architecture. With five 'computer platforms' controlling all vehicle functions and characterised by an extraordinary speed of calculation, E3 1.2 makes it possible to multiply the number, size and resolution of displays in the cockpit, to update software and functions wirelessly (Over-the-Air, OTA) and to apply artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGpt, to voice control and the adoption of the Android Automotive OS operating system for infotainment.

At launch, the A6 Avant is available with two engines featuring 48-volt Mhev plus technology and the 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. The 2.0 Tdi engine with 204 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque belongs to the Ea288 series and is offered in combination with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive quattro ultra. At the top of the range is the V6 3.0 Tfsi with 367 bhp and 550 Nm supercharged via a single variable geometry turbocharger, also featuring Mhev plus technology.